The present invention relates to a high-precision transfer stage apparatus for use with lithography apparatuses, instrument apparatuses or other apparatuses and a method for exposing a substrate plate to transcribe circuit patterns and, more particularly, to an exposure apparatus to be used in a lithography process for producing particularly semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices and to a stage apparatus for use with such an exposure apparatus, as well as to a method for exposing a photosensitive substrate plate to transcribe device patterns using such an exposure apparatus.
Hitherto, a variety of exposure apparatuses have been employed in situ in a lithography process for producing semiconductor devices. Among such exposure apparatuses which currently have been employed in situ on a large-scale line, a compression projection exposure apparatus (usually called a stepper) of a step-and-repeat system is employed predominantly. In addition, there are known a projection exposure apparatus (a scanning exposure device) in a step-and-scan system so arranged as to scan a mask with a circuit pattern drawn as an original picture thereon and a photosensitive substrate plate (a semiconductor wafer) for producing devices relative to an optical projection system, a X-rays stepper so arranged as to set a mask and a photosensitive substrate plate at a given gap interval and to expose the mask and the photosensitive substrate plate to X-rays such as SOR rays in a step-and-repeat system, a electron beams exposure apparatus for drawing a circuit pattern with charged particle beams or transcribing a mask by radiation of electron beams, etc.
Many of such exposure apparatuses are provided each with a transfer stage apparatus which is so arranged as to hold a photosensitive or sensitive substrate plate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer with a photoresist layer coated thereon) and to move in a two-dimensional direction with respect to a pattern projection system (e.g., a projection system of a pattern image or the mask itself, etc.). There are known transfer stage apparatuses of various types, too. Among them, there is known a stage apparatus of a type in which a movable main stage member is held on a guide plane of a base table with a needle bearing or an air bearing and it is transferred by a drive source of a contact type using a feed screw and a nut, etc., or of a non-contact type using a combination of plural linear motors, etc.
In either case, the such stage apparatuses are connected each to plural flexible tubes for supplying vacuum, pressure or pressure-applying fluid to a holder of a vacuum adsorption system for holding and adsorbing a substrate plate or an aerodynamic operation source (e.g., piston, vacuum pad part, etc.). Therefore, the movable main stage member is transferred while dragging those flexible tubes from the base table. Likewise, the movable main stage member is provided with various electrical drive sources (e.g., rotary motor, voice coil motor, piezo element, electromagnet, etc.). To those electrical drive sources are connected plural electrical wiring for supplying electrical energy from the base table side or an apparatus column side. Thus, the movable main stage member is transferred while dragging such wiring.
Further, in conventional stage apparatuses as mentioned above, those plural flexible tubes and plural electrical wiring were impossible to be separated from the movable main stage member but were always connected thereto. Therefore, even when a substrate plate already processed is exchanged for another substrate plate, those tubes and electrical wiring could not be easily separated from the movable main stage on the base table. Of course, although those tubes and electrical wiring could be separated from it during the maintenance or the like, the movable stage body cannot maintain the function of vacuum-absorbing a substrate plate or the like during the maintenance. In addition, it was troublesome to connect again those tubes and electrical wiring to the movable stage body.